When I moved to Chiang Mai just over a year ago, I harbored a hope that some of what I’d learned working with displaced people in Uganda for 11 years might turn out to be useful. So when my friend Connie Mudore invited me into a conversation about the community of refugees at the Mae Sot trash dump, I was excited to see what would emerge.

Hmmm... Excited to work at a garbage dump? No, the dump is not an exciting place. The stench is overwhelming, living conditions are horrific, and the stories of people eating food they find at the dump are gut wrenching in a very physical way. The daily health risks are extraordinary, and even walking around there is just, well... disgusting.

What I did find exciting was the opportunity to explore possibilities with a group of fellow human beings who had fallen through the cracks of society, for making their lives just a little bit better. I knew there were some organizations already doing good work there, but what might the community do to improve their own situation with a little bit of well-channeled goodwill?

There are currently 110 families from 8 tribes and regions of Myanmar (Burma) who live in peace together at the Mae Sot dump. They sleep and eat in makeshift dwellings that form 3 small neighborhoods, built around neon green bodies of pondwater. They do not have passports or papers that might enable them to get legal employment. The owner of the nearby recycling factory allows them to stay temporarily on his land - though the local police have occasionally disagreed and tried to chase them away. Growing food or building more permanent shelters is not allowed. What’s more, the piles of garbage that they sift through each day have been picked over at least twice for recyclables before it arrives to them on the dump.

In spite of the obvious challenges, some families have been living at the Mae Sot dump for more than 15 years. Though they do dream of someday returning home, they say their conditions at the dump are better than what they can find at home now in war-torn Burma. There is free medical care in town, there are schools available, and the community itself is tight-knit and supportive of each other. Though they live with constant fear of over-stepping the boundaries inherent to their illegal status, it’s a different kind of fear than they knew before they left home. Through hard work they are proud of empowering themselves in an otherwise powerless situation.

What has struck me most as I’ve gotten to know the community better is the gratitude they repeatedly express. They are grateful for the garbage dump, grateful for Thailand, grateful for the trash that the city of Mae Sot produces, and grateful for the freedom that working for themselves allows them to experience in their lives. They are friendly and warm. There is laughter and love. Parents have strong bonds with their children, as daily survival is a whole family affair.

One of the most exciting moments during my conversations with the dump leaders was when they came up with the idea of raising pigs. When I’d asked them how they might spend money if there was a source available, their first response was about educating the community’s children. After consulting with the community that evening, however, they realized the challenge was more complex than just paying fees or buying supplies. As we talked about livelihoods and the risks of depending on charity, they seemed distant and contemplative. Then one of them mentioned pig rearing, and the room came completely alive! Since then they’ve fleshed out a plan, and now it’s the community that’s excited.

Piglets for progress certainly won’t solve all of the dump community’s challenges. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years of working with war-affected families, however, empowering people to believe in and experience their own possibility can make an impact that lasts a lifetime. Like many others who’ve been a part of this journey, there is part of me that is tempted to try to do more for them. But honoring and supporting their idea for some self-determined progress really feels like a valuable gift to give.

So let’s offer a hand up. Please support the campaign at startsomegood.com/pigletsforprogresstoday with a small contribution if you can, and be sure to tell your friends. On behalf of the community at the Mae Sot trash dump and the friends who’ve participated in this effort, CHE ZU TIN BA DEH! (That’s “Thank you,” in Burmese.)